SAT MATH Preparation

Course
Charisse Jodhan
SCATTERPLOTS
What is a scatterplot
› A scatterplot displays a relationship between two sets of data. A
scatterplot can also be called a scatter gram or a scatter
diagram.
› A scatterplot shows the relationship between two quantitative
variables measured for the same individuals
› The values of one variable appear on the horizontal axis, and
the values of the other variable appear on the vertical axis.
› In a scatterplot, a dot represents a single data point. With
several data points graphed, a visual distribution of the data can
be seen.
› A scatter plot contains a bunch of dots scattered around a
two-line graph
 The scatterplot displays how a local ice cream
shop keeps track of how much ice cream they sell
versus the temperature on that day, here are their
figures for the last 12 days

The scatterplot below displays the height and weight of

pre-teenage girls. Each dot on the graph represents an individual
girl and her combination of height and weight
Line of Best Fit
› A line of best fit can be roughly determined using an
eyeball method by drawing a straight line on a scatter plot
so that the number of points above the line and below the
line is about equal
› Ensure the line passes through as many points as
possible
The local ice cream shop keeps track of how much ice cream they sell versus the noon
temperature on that day. Here are their figures for the last 12 days
Interpolation of the Best Fit Line
Extrapolation of the Best Fit Line
Best Fit Equation
› It is the equation of a straight line
› Can be written in the form y=mx+c
› Find the Slope of the best fit line
› Use the slope formula using the slope and any given point
on the line
Find the Line of Best Fit
Interpreting the scatterplot
Direction of the Relationship
› We often see patterns or relationships in scatterplots
› One important component to a scatterplot is the direction of
the relationship between the two variables

› Two types of association

1. Positive Association
2. Negative Association
3. No Association
Positive Association
Negative Association
No Association

There is no association between average time a

person spends on TV in a week and the size of
the television
Summary of Direction

A positive (or A negative (or

increasing) decreasing) A relationship
relationship means relationship with no
that an increase in means that an association
one of the increase in one of shows no trend
variables is the variables is in the data
associated with an associated with a points
increase in the decrease in the
other. other.
Form of the Relationship
› Another important component to a scatterplot is the form of
the relationship between the two variables.
› The form of the relationship is its general shape
› When identifying the form, we try to find the simplest way
to describe the shape of the scatterplot
Relationships can be
1. Linear
2. Quadratic
3. Exponential
Linear Form
› Relationships with a linear form are most simply described
as points scattered about a line
› A linear model will always increase( when its slope is
positive) or decrease ( when its slope is negative)
› This is easy to spot
 This example illustrates a linear
relationship. This means that the
points on the scatterplot closely
resemble a straight line.

A relationship is linear if one variable increases by approximately the same rate as

the other variables changes by one unit.
Quadratic Form
› Relationships with a curvilinear form are most simply
described as points dispersed around the same curved line
› This model is “U shaped” and the trend of data changes
from decreasing to increasing and vice versa.
› Recall the graph of a quadratic equation takes shape of a
parabola
› The vertex can either be a minimum or a maximum vertex
This example illustrates a relationship
that has the form of a curve, rather This is due to the fact that one variable does not
than a straight line. increase at a constant rate and may even start
decreasing after a certain point. This example describes
a quadratic relationship between the variable “age” and
the variable “working memory.”

In this example, working memory

increases throughout childhood, remains
steady in adulthood, and begins
decreasing around age 50.
Exponential Form
› An exponential model typically starts with a gradual rate of
change.
› This rate of change increases significantly over time
› Unlike the quadratic model, the trend of the data does not
change direction
› The graph does not have a vertex
Identifying an Exponential Equation from its
graph
1. First, identify two points on the graph. Choose
the y-intercept as one of the two points whenever
possible. Try to choose points that are as far apart as
possible to reduce round-off error.
2. If one of the data points is the y-intercept) (0,a) , then a is
the initial value.
3. Using a, substitute the second point into the equation
and solve for b.
4. Write the exponential function
Find an equation for the exponential function graphed
Strength of the Relationship
› Another important component to a scatterplot is the
strength of the relationship between the two variables.
› The strength of the relationship is determined by how
closely the data follow the form of the relationship
› The slope provides information on the strength of the
relationship.
Data points are clustered Data points deviate
along the line of best fit along the line of best fit
Strength of Linear Models
It has a positive correlation because the points all
trend upward. In other words, as the independent
variable on the x-axis increases, the dependent
variable on the y-axis also increases. Therefore,
the line of best fit that is drawn through the data
represents a positive line as it has a positive
slope. This verifies that our data has a positive
correlation
Outliers
› Data points that deviate from the pattern of the relationship
are called outliers